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Some developmental scientists collect data by watching and recording children’s behavior. Developmental scientists employ two types of observational measures: naturalistic observation and structured observation.

Scientists who use naturalistic observation observe and record behavior in natural, real-world settings. For example, Salo, Rowe, and Reeb-Sutherland (2018) observed 12-month-old infants playing with their parents. They recorded infants’ gestures and how often they participated with parents in paying attention to or interacting with an object (such as a toy). One year later, infants who used more gestures and engaged in more joint attention, especially responses to parents’ efforts to direct their attention, showed more advanced language development; they understood and produced more words.

This researcher is using a video camera to observe and record the facial expressions a newborn baby makes while it sleeps.

Thierry Berrod, Mona Lisa Production/Science Source

Sometimes the presence of an observer causes those being observed to behave in unnatural ways or ways that are not typical for them. This is known as participant reactivity, and it poses a challenge to gathering data by naturalistic observation. One way of reducing the effect of observation is to conduct multiple observations so that the children get used to the observer and return to their normal behavior. Another promising method of minimizing participant reactivity is to use an electronically activated voice recorder (EAR) (Mehl, 2017). Participants carry the EAR as they go about their daily lives. The EAR captures segments of information over time: hours, days, or even weeks. It yields a log of people’s activities as they naturally unfold. The EAR minimizes participant reactivity because the participant is unaware of exactly when the EAR is recording. For example, researchers who study child trauma use the EAR to sample conversations between parents and children to understand how parent–child interactions influence children’s adjustment and how the family environment can aid children’s recovery from trauma (Alisic, Krishna, Robbins, & Mehl, 2016).

Naturalistic observation permits researchers to observe patterns of behavior in everyday settings, such as whether an event or behavior typically precedes another. Such observations can help researchers determine which behaviors are important to study in the first place. For example, a scientist who studies bullying by observing children’s play may notice that some victims act aggressively before a bullying encounter (Kamper-DeMarco & Ostrov, 2017). The scientist may then decide to examine aggression in victims not only after a bullying incident but also beforehand. Naturalistic observation is a useful way of studying events and behaviors that are common. However, some behaviors and events occur infrequently, requiring a researcher to observe for very long periods of time to obtain data on the behavior of interest. For this reason, many researchers make structured observations.

Structured observation entails observing and recording behaviors displayed in a controlled environment, a situation constructed by the experimenter. For example, children might be observed in a laboratory setting as they play with another child or complete a puzzle-solving task. The challenges of identifying and categorizing which behaviors to record are similar to those involved in naturalistic observation. However, the laboratory environment permits researchers to exert more control over the situation than is possible in natural settings. In addition to cataloging observable behaviors, some researchers use technology to measure biological functions such as heart rate, brain waves, and blood pressure. One challenge to conducting structured observations is that children do not always behave in laboratory settings as they do in real life.